Jauron press conf. transcript - 10/11

(On having Joe Haden back and how it changes the way he schemes)- “It’s great to have Joe back, there’s no doubt about it. We’ve talked about it almost every week since he’s been out, it’s just never good to have a starter out of your lineup. Call-wise or scheme-wise it helps us a little bit, but doesn’t change a lot of stuff significantly. It does change some things.”

(On how he plans to implement James-Michael Johnson into the defense and if he envisions him playing both inside and outside)- “He does play both. He’s gotten more of his work outside in training camp to this point. Hopefully D’Qwell (Jackson) will be able to go, but we will keep dual training him. He’ll get work at both of them, really more focus on outside on our base and the backup MIKE on our sub package. That’s kind of where he’s been focusing.”

(On if Buster Skrine can play inside if Dimitri Patterson unable to play)- “Buster has played inside for us before and he’s worked there. He practiced there a good deal last year and then I would say a significant amount this year so he can move inside. He’s played the position, he’s familiar with it, clearly he doesn’t have a lot of experience there, but Buster does not have a lot of experience in the league.”

(On what the biggest challenge is from going outside to the slot)- “Things happen very quickly. I would say you may be able to help that inside guy a little bit more, a little bit quicker. It all depends on who else they have and clearly (the Bengals) have a lot of weapons on offense. You can get help to him quicker in terms of doubling, but there’s a lot of field around him. I always found it very hard to play in the middle of the field. Generally people look at a strong safety trying to cover a tight end, it’s a really hard deal because you’ve got the middle of the field and you’ve got field all around you. It’s the same inside in the sub package. There’s field all around you. Not everybody can go in there even if they’re terrific outside players. It’s just a different deal in there.”

(On how you keep things from snowballing defensively when things start to go bad like they did in New York during the last four minutes of the half)- “You try your best, from the coaching side of it, just to put them in better defenses and I clearly didn’t do that. Then when you’re with them, you’ve just got to keep reminding them of all the things they’ve done, that they know how to do it and they’ve got to focus and get it done. The sudden change situation when we do get out there after a turnover, we’ve just got to be aware of what the other team likes to do, what people tend to do. People tend to take shots at you if they’re in your plus territory and our guys usually talk about it. It doesn’t mean you’ll always stop them, but we clearly need to be better at it and we certainly needed it there in that last, as you said, that last four-minute span which was not very good.”

(On why his confidence in Buster Skrine isn’t wavering)- “I just have a lot of admiration for the way he plays, the toughness he plays with. Clearly he’s learning a lot. He’s getting schooled at times and he’s making plays at time also. I have a lot of respect for his toughness. Clearly his speed and his quickness are things you can’t teach. He’s gifted in that regard and he’s a guy that he really does want it badly. He prepares as well as you can prepare, he works so hard in practice every day and he listens. He listens and with Tim (Hauck) and Ray (Rhodes), he’ll keep developing. He’s going to get penalties, clearly we can’t have as many as he’s gotten, but guys that battle like that and are willing to go up and press like that, they’re going to get called so we’ve got to clean that up and he’s got to clean that up. I have a strong in belief in him. He’s a terrific young man too on top of all the other stuff, but he’s just a tough player that likes the game and is going to get better and better.”

(On if he thinks Buster Skrine will be alright mentally)- “I think he’s alright, yeah I do. I think he’s okay. Certainly nobody likes to have a ball caught on him or anybody score on him, but yeah, I think he’s alright.”

(On if Trevin Wade has improved in his role at nickel since his first action against Cincinnati in Week Two)- “Yeah, definitely. Trevin does a nice job inside. He’s got a very nice feel for it. That game, one of the two big plays that hurt us in that game came on a broken play really. He had good coverage early and then like a lot of players in general, certainly a lot of young players, he lost his man. He just lost track of him. He got his eyes on the quarterback and he never got them back on his coverage until it was too late. I think unfortunately it’s one of the ways you learn as a player, but Trevin is aware. He’s very aware, he’s played well for us most of the time, he’s another young player that will develop over time and just get better. He’s tackled well when he’s been called on to tackle, he’s ready to go if he needs to go in there.”

(On what impresses him most about Andy Dalton and if he has changed in his second season)- “I think he’s just the same guy with more experience. He was very good in his rookie season. Coming out of college, he performed at a high level probably in his whole career. I don’t know anything about his high school, but I’m assuming in his whole career he’s been this guy that appears to be in control, he’s calm in the pocket, he makes plays when he has to, he’s good extending the play, he keeps the play alive, he can move, he moves well and he made that one big play we were just talking about coming out of the pocket and throwing it on the run. He’s done it to a lot of people so far. He is really a good quarterback.”

(On what the loss of Ahtyba Rubin would mean to the defense and if there is any trepidation to having two rookies defensive tackles start)- “You don’t want to lose Rube. It’s another one of those situations where a starter leaves the lineup and it’s just not good, it’s not what you’re looking for. Rube is a quiet leader for us so we don’t want him off the field. We don’t really have any problems nor choices with John (Hughes) and Billy (Winn), but they both really, they’ve played at a high level and they’re getting better. I believe they’re getting better every week. They just are so those two picks proved to be, I think long-term will really serve the organization well, short-term also. They are playing well.”

(On if he is willing to play Buster Skrine at nickel even though he hasn’t played there in a game this season to this point)- “Yeah, there’s not limitless options there and I do have faith in Buster. I don’t have problems putting him in there and then Trevin can play in there also. He may be in there to start the game. We’ll just have to see how the week unfolds.”

(On how concerned his is about the run defense)- “When you’re losing you’re concerned about everything on defense. We’ve just got to give up less points. I don’t ever mind bleeding a team, we’re not concerned with yardage, but when they get into the end zone as often as they did last week, it’s never a good thing no matter how they do it. We defiantly put them in some not-so-great situations with some calls and we’ve got to make more plays on the field.”

(On if it was as simple as D’Qwell Jackson not being in there or if there were more issues to allowing the long runs last week)- “The big runs are what hurt you. You’ll get some 8-12 yard runs, but when they break for 20-30, those kinds of things, you really have to hold those runs down and then you can keep it more under control and we didn’t do that. The loss of D’Qwell in the game was a big loss, but everybody’s got injuries in the league and we’ve got to find a way to patch the holes and keep moving and play at a higher level.”

(On where Jabaal Sheard is at since his numbers statistically are down this season)- “I have no problems with Jabaal Sheard and the way he plays the game. The guy is really a good football player and he’s playing at a high level. Sometimes you get the numbers and sometimes you don’t. I think the longer he plays, the better he’s going to get and his numbers will get there. I think he’s a special player and a special guy too, a great teammate, team player. I really like this guy.”

(On if he wants Sheard to put more heat on the quarterback)- “Yeah, you could say that about anybody on the field up front or anybody in a pressure situation. There is a scheme and Jabaal will play the scheme now. He’s not a guy that will play outside of it so you I can say I am not putting him in enough situations and letting him go. He’s not a guy that’s going to play for stats, he’s going to play the defense.”

(On what adjustments other teams have made against Sheard and how he can counter that)- “There’s not a whole lot you can do if they want to slide the protection to you or make you a focal point of protection or chip you with a back. A lot of teams will chip. You can stunt to try to get away from the chip, but you can’t do it all the time. He’s getting all those things and he’s good enough to get their attention so those things are a part of it, but also the fact that we’re not winning, I think that’s a part of it too. We’re behind in games like last week. Not to the point where I think they change their play calling, but it can happen at times. As I said, Jabaal, I think he will be a special player here for a long time.”

(On if A.J. Green is any different this year)- “It seems like he’s had a better year so far. It’s a limited number of games and they’re targeting him. Certainly they’ll make him a focal part of their passing game and they have a lot of talent around him also so it does open him up. He’s a threat, clearly, down the field and they use him underneath a lot also. He’s getting a lot of attention from his offense, he’s getting a lot of attention from defenses and he’s still producing.”